Italy has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Europe again, surpassing the United Kingdom in the number of deaths from the virus on Saturday as conditions in the country worsened.
As of December 12, 19,903 new cases and 649 new deaths had been reported in Italy, bringing the total number of deaths from the virus in the country to 64,036, according to the WorldDometer. This is slightly higher than the total number of deaths in the UK at 64,026 on Saturday.
These figures would be considered a setback for the country, which was the first Western country to catch the epidemic and experienced a significant number of cases and deaths in the spring.
The virus killed 761 people on Friday, up from 63,387 earlier. The death toll in the UK was 63,603 on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
The UK has led Europe in COVID-19 deaths in recent weeks, but Italy has recorded 28,000 new deaths since September 1st.
The Italian population is 60 million. This is 6 million less than in the UK, but Italy has an older population and people over the age of 65 are infected with the virus.
Japan alone has a much older population than Italy, which may help explain the high number of deaths caused by the virus. However, the country is facing criticism for its handling of the epidemic, especially considering the nation has had more time to assess and respond to the impact of the disease.
The average age of COVID-19 victims in Italy is about 80 years old, while more than 65 percent of those who die have had at least three health problems before being infected with the virus.
A few countries now record higher COVID-19 deaths than Italy, all of which have large populations. They are India, Brazil, Mexico and the United States
Despite the country’s age statistics, experts say this alone does not explain the number of deaths. Chronic problems in the Italian health system are seen as a contributing factor.
It is hoped that the release of a Govt-19 vaccine early next year will help bring the epidemic under control, but until a vaccine program is implemented, the crisis will continue to set Italy on record for mortality and European manipulation.
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